Every Breath You Take
by daenesme
Summary: Sixteen year old Severus Snape has a rather strange hobby for which he would go to all lengths.
1. Snowball fight

**A/N: This is what Snape has been up to when he was no longer friends with Lily in my dirty, creepy little mind. :)**

* * *

"...I think I'm going to pass this one too, Mulciber, I have lots to do, you see —"

"Let me guess," the blond haired boy interrupted Severus. "Homework? Research? The test on Friday? Or did you borrow a book from the library that you have to stick your nose into before it's due?"

The hook nosed boy glared at his friend, for the level of sarcasm in his voice was enough to hurt his ears. "And this concerns you, because...?"

"Fifth time this year we have invited you down to the lake, and each time you came up with a lame excuse." A shrewd smirk played on Mulciber's lips. "I know you're up to something, Snape — I can sense your little brain working overtime from afar —"

"Don't know what you're talking about, Mulciber." Severus said hastily. "In fact, my time is rather too precious for this stupid exchange of words —"

Mulciber cursed under his breath as he scurried out of the Slytherin common room. "Fine, fine — silly hog — leaving, I am!"

And with that, making sure nobody else was around, Severus Snape turned on his heels and stormed up the marble stairs and into the boy's dormitory where his little, secret friend was covered beneath a layer of freshly washed socks and underwear.

...

He was outside now, throwing himself into the sultry February morning interestingly covered in snow, crouching behind an enormous oak tree, gazing at the huge Hogwarts front garden, watching a group of Gryffindor girls like a hungry hawk.

"I just don't feel it anymore," one of them was saying as she stared down at her woollen gloves. "We're not the same. Something has changed in Frank that I can't quite get my head around..."

"Have you tried talking to him about this?" the girl on the left asked.

Alice snorted as she straightened her red and golden scarf. "And here I thought you knew me better, Marlene."

"So the poor guy is totally unaware." the tallest, and according to Severus, the prettiest of the four chimed in. Her emerald green eyes were icy, yet her red, wavy hair was so on fire that it could melt down the whole of Hogwarts in two full minutes, he thought. "What could possibly have changed, do you think?"

"Wish I knew..." Alice shrugged as she looked back down at her fingers. "I just... can't see a future there anymore... with him."

"I think you're a bit too quick to judge, Alice, as always." Lily said softly. "You guys are both young — must be rather early to foresee such a thing, don't you think?"

The raven haired girl sighed significantly. "You're right, probably."

"And," she continued. "As I said, you are, in fact, very young; if it doesn't work out with Longbottom, you can always find someone el –_ OUCH_!" Lily Evans was cut short by a ball of snow hitting her right in the face. "Who in Merlin's name – _MARY_!"

They all turned, quickly, to stare down at the blonde, petite figure of a girl with a mischievous smirk forming on her lips. She raised her shoulders into a carefree shrug as she exclaimed, "Sorry, Lily –_ truly_ – it was too hard to resist, I swear –"

"YOU ERRANT, MILK-LIVERED GIGLET!" The crimson haired girl crouched down to return the favour with a larger snowball, and at that moment, in that yard, out of sight, a camera flashed bright, and for the oily haired boy's liking none of the girls ever noticed.

Severus gazed down at the new photo that had just appeared in his right palm, and licked his lips quite feverishly; a very angry looking Lily Evans was bending over to the camera, giving a very hot view of her sweet, round behind.


	2. On to something

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who read and actually took the trouble of reviewing my baby; you have no idea how much it all means to me! Your reactions were quite amusing, and they inspired me to write some more since I was seriously considering to leave the story as a oneshot. I love you all to bits! :)**

* * *

"…ouch, mate; that's my foot!"

"Sorry, Padfoot — if Frank could just — to the left a bit —"

"Shush!" Frank hissed the two into silence. "Can't hear a thing!"

James Potter, desperately trying to cling onto every bit of the Invisibility Cloak he could reach, just wished he could go back to the old days where Frank, Sirius and himself were just tiny children who could slip under the cloak with sheer ease and eavesdrop on specific targets without the risk of breaking each other's arms and legs.

"What's she saying?" demanded Sirius, for he was always too lazy to actually open up his ears and listen.

"She thinks our relationship is going down the tubes," Frank breathed, a ping of hidden agony evident in his voice. "I knew it…"

Sirius frowned. "Well — _duhh_? I'd burn you to ashes if you'd dragged us all the way here on a beautiful Saturday morning to spy on your girlfriend for nothing, you know that, right?"

His words were sedulously ignored.

"Did she give any reasons, though?" James asked.

"Shh," Frank whispered.

But they never heard what the reasons were, if they were ever said, for a high-pitched female voice was now booming all across the yard.

"_MARY_!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Here we go; chick fight!" Sirius sneered, rubbing his hands together. "You know Frank, I'm actually starting to think this whole thing was worth a piece —"

"…_MILK-LIVERED GIGLET_!"

James chuckled. "Go Evans!"

"Hey," called Frank, apparently his attention caught by something utterly different. "Isn't that Snape?"

James' head turned faster than a bullet when he heard the name of his arch nemesis. "Sure is…" he confirmed.

"What's he up to now, out and about without his Slytherin gang?" wondered Sirius.

"Who knows?" Frank shrugged, caring not more or less, and turned his attention back to the snowball fight that was now getting fiercer by the second.

Knowing that his day would go down the drain if he hadn't discovered the answer for the asked question, James Potter smiled slyly. "I'll find out."

It hadn't been easy to capture the cloak from Frank's rather persistent hands — and mouth, for that matter — and by the time James actually managed to do the said thing, Severus the sneaky git was long gone. But James Potter was not one to quit easily, not when he knew something was going on; _next time_, he promised himself. _I'll have you next time, Snivellus_.

But the opportunity never presented itself, for James had a series of detentions he had to attend every evening for the next two weeks since he _accidentally_ plastered crushed leeches all over the ceiling one Potions class. The best he could do was check him on the Marauder's Map as soon as he was dismissed, which became quite a hobby after a while to the point where it started to bother some people.

"Oh, come on!" Sirius cried one evening as soon as he entered the boy's dormitory. "Is that thing glued to your hands or what?"

Not taking his eyes off the map, James murmured, "Wish it was. That would make things much easier."

"I'm actually starting to regret I ever invented the bloody thing!" Sirius exclaimed.

Remus snorted as he licked a finger to turn the page of the book he was reading. "Love it when you take all the credit, Padfoot."

"You tell him, Moony," James raised his head to look at the brains of the room. "You think I'm wasting my time?"

Remus Lupin looked up reluctantly. "Well, here's the thing; what evidence is there to suggest that Snape is engaging in secret activities? You say you know by heart, but how?" He thought for a second, then smiled humorously. "Unless you have the Spidey-sense or something —"

"The what?" they both asked in unison.

"You know — Spidey-sense — tingling — oh, it's a Muggle thing..." Remus sighed heavily and went back to reading _Hairy Snout, Human Heart_ with a sardonic pout. "Let alone. I've made my point."

A stretching silence conquered them all.

"There!" James cried suddenly, disrupting the silence, and then got up to shove the map into Remus' face. "How do you explain Snivellus lurking around in the Transfiguration Courtyard at this hour, then?"

No one had an answer for him, and he didn't expect them to have one anyway. He had waited a long time for this opportunity, and he had no intention of wasting any of his precious minutes. Without any further ado he opened up his trunk and rummaged through to reach the last and the most important item of them all at the bottom, his one and only, the Invisibility Cloak.


End file.
